Variable-speed reduction unit



March 27, 1951 PRZYBYLSK] 2,546,869

VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT Filed Oct. 15, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 27, 1951 D. F. PRZYBYLSKI VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1943 1 m MQM mp r 1 2 V B March 27, 1951 PRZYBYLSK] 2,546,869

VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT Filed Oct. 13, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 2 P 7 ??/I Z 5055 20 16 174, ax mr March 27, 1951 D. F. PRZYBYLSKI 2,546,869

VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT 7 Fil ed Oct. 15, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

/// aflffy March 1951 D. F. PRZYBYLSKI 5,

VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT Filed Oct. 13, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

March 27, 1951 PRzYBYLsK| 2,546,869

VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT Filed Oct. 15, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 u -mmm k IF'TI xmxwlmlmlxmxgiai-ml war 6y Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VARIABLE-SPEED REDUCTION UNIT Daniel F. Przyhylski, Winona, Minn. Application October 13, 1948, Serial No. 54,291

3 Claims. (Cl. 74-4589) My present invention relates to improvements in variable speed reduction mechanisms.

The principal objectof this invention is to provide a variable speed reduction unit that will give an unlimited number of input speeds and a wide range of selective predetermined output speeds as it will give variable speeds of infinitesimal variations.

A further object of this invention is to provide a variable speedireduction unit in which it is never necessary to change any of the internal parts of the unit for different speeds.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the variable speed reduction unit connected to the crank shaft of an internal combustion engine, fragmentarily shown, by an input shaft and having an output shaft that may be connected to a device to be driven;

Fig. 2 is a view of the variable speed reduction unit principally in central vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the variable speed reduction unit With its front cover member removed to expose the mechanism in the housing of said unit, parts of which are shown in section;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the ring gear and parts associated therewith removed from the housing, with a portion of the ring gear mount broken away to expose one of the traveler gears and the cage therefor, some parts being sectioned;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the traveler gears and cage therefor removed from the ring,

gear mount, some parts being sectioned;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail View partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 8;

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 are elevational views with the output shaft sectioned on the lines l'l, 88 and 99 of Fig. 1, respectively;

Fig. 10 is an elevational view corresponding to Fig. 1, with the exception that the auxiliary shaft is driven through a variable speed transmission in place of the hydraulic motor;

Fig. 11 is a right side elevational view of the invention as shown in Fig. 10, with the output shaft sectioned on the line I II l of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is a left side elevational'view of the 2 invention shown in Fig. 10, with the input shaft sectioned on the line l2--l2 of Fig. 10.

Referring first in detail to the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, there is illustrated in the drawings, fragmentarily, a motor in the form of an internal combustion engine indicated as an entirety by the numeral l3 with the exception of its crank shaft [4.

The variable speed reduction unit, which is the subject-matter of this application, has a housing l5 that includes a round body member IE on a flat base portion and front and rear displaceable side members I? and I8, respectively. These side members I1 and it are detachably secured to the body member l6 and its base portion by machine screws l9. Integral with the base portion of the body member it are foot members 28 having bores 2| to receive anchor bolts, not shown, for securing the housing 15 to a suitable support.

Formed with the front side member l! is a large outwardly projecting boss 22 having an axial bearing 23 of relatively small diameter and an internal bearing 24 of relatively large diameter. On the rear side member 18 is an outstanding large boss 25 having a large axial bearing 2% and an internal bearing 27 of a still larger diameter. All of the bearings 23, 24, 26 and2'l are in axial alignment with the axis of the housing [5.

Within the housing [5 is a. large ring gear 23 having internal teeth 29 and external teeth 36. The body of the ring gear 28 extends. materially outwardly of the ends of the teeth 29 and 30 and has detachably secured thereto a front side plate 3! and a rear side plate 32 by means of machine screws 33. Formed as apart of the front side plate 3i is a large external hub 34 journaled in the bearing 24. A large external hub 35 is formed as a part of the rear side plate 32 and journaled in the bearing 21.

The ring gear 28 and its side plates 3! and 32 afford a housing for a gear carrier 36 comprising a pair of laterally spaced side members 31 and 38 having three pairs of short arms 39 circumferentially spaced equi-distantly apart and provided with bearings 39 at their ends.

The carrier side member .31 is journaled on an inwardly projecting hub A0 integral with the front side plate 3| in axial alignment with the hub 34 and of a reduced diameter. ."Integral with the carrier side member 38 is a long sleeve 41 journaled in the bearing 26 and the hub 35 and projects outwardly of the boss 25; The two carrier side members 3'! and 38 are rigidly'connected by three circumferentially spaced crosstie members 42 that are integral therewith.

An input shaft 63 is attached at its outer end to the engine crank shaft It by a flexible coupling 44. The inner end portion of the input shaft 43 is journaled in the bearing 23, the hubs 3d and 40, and the rear carrier side plate 32. A spur pinion 45 in the carrier 36 is secured to the input shaft 43 for rotation therewith. This pinion t5 meshes with three planet spur gears lit having short shafts 4'! journal-ed in the carrier bearings 39. These planet gears 46 mesh with the internal teeth 29 on the ring gear 28. The inner end portion of an output shaft 48 is fitted in the sleeve i! and secured for rotation therewith by a key 43*. On the outer end of the output shaft is a coupling member 43 for attaching said output shaft to any member or device to be driven thereby.

An auxiliary pinion 58 on an auxiliary shaft 49- is intermediately journaled in a bearing 50 removably mounted in a round hole Si in the front side member IT. This bearing 59 has an annular flange 52 that overlaps the face of the side member i l and is detachably secured thereto by machine screws 53. The auxiliary shaft 58, at its rear end portion, is journal-ed in a socket bearing 55% removably mounted in a hole 55 in the rear side member :3, of the same diameter as the hole 5| and in axial alignment therewith.- This socket bearing Ed has an annular flange 55 that overlaps the outer face of the rear side member l8 and is detachably secured thereto by machine screws 57. The bearing 54 and its flange 56 afford a closure for the hole 55. and 54 are interchangeable to permit the auxiliary shaft 29 to be turned end for end and projected outwardly from either side member l1i8.

A small sprocket wheel 58, an intermediate sprocket wheel 59 and a large sprocket wheel 59 are secured to a clutch 6! in the form of a sleeve 62, having on one end square teeth 63 and on its other end similar teeth Ed. The clutch sleeve-62 is mounted on the input shaft 43 for axial sliding movement between the boss 22 and the flexible coupling 44. A shipper lever 65 fulcrumed on a bearing 65 secured to the boss 22 is provided for shifting the clutch G! and the parts thereon. When the clutch 6! is moved to the left, in respect to Fig. 1, its teeth 63 mesh with square teeth 6! on the coupling as and hold the clutch SI and the sprocket wheels 58, 59 and thereon for rotation with the input shaft 43. When the clutch 6| is moved to the right, its teeth 63 are moved out of mesh with the teeth 67 on the coupling 44 and its teeth 64 are moved into mesh with square teeth 63 on a face plate t9 secured to the boss 22 and hold the clutch 5! from rotating with the input shaft 43. Sprocket Wheels M, H and '32 are mounted on a common hub 49' secured on the auxiliary shaft 49 for rotating the same. These sprocket wheels 70, ll and 72 are of the same diameters as the sprocket wheels 58, 59 and 60 with which they are aligned but in reverse order. A sprocket chain l3, shown in Fig. l, by full lines, is arranged to run over the sprocket wheels 58 and I6 and drive the auxiliary shaft 59 from the input shaft G3 at a slower speed than that of said input shaft. By means of broken lines in Fig. l, the sprocket chain 13 is applied to the sprocket wheels 59 and H to drive the auxiliary shaft 49 at the same speed as the input shaft 43 and also applied to the sprocket wheels 60 and 72 to drive the auxiliary shaft at a faster speed than that of the-input shaft 43.

When the clutch 6! is in neutral position, the auxiliary shaft 49 may be driven independently of the input shaft 43 at a variable speed by a hydraulic motor 1 3, as shown, or a variable speed electric motor, not shown. 011 under pressure The bearings 59 4 for operating the motor i4 is delivered thereto through a pipe is leading from any suitable source of supply, not shown. This oil is bypassed in the motor is and returned to its source of supply through a pipe is. A regulator valve 71 is interposed in the oil pipe iii. The auxiliary shaft i9 is driven from the motor is by a sprocket chain '58 that runs over a sprocket Wheel 86 on :e shaft 3i of said motor. The sprocket wheel 19 is secured to the auxiliary shaft 49 for rotation therewith by a key and a set screw 82 having threaded engagement with the hub of said sprocket Wheel and impinges th auxiliary shaft 63.

Operation of the variable speed reduction unit may be described as follows: When the clutch BI is in neutral position and the motor ?4 stopped, the auxiliary pinion 58 will hold the ring gear 28 from turning. It may be assumed that the input shaft :33 is being drivenfrom the engine l3 and turning clockwise and, in turn, turns the planet gears ii; counterclockwise. The meshing of the planet gears it with the internal teeth 29 ofthe stopped ring gear 28 will cause said planetgears to be moved. bodily clockwise while being rotated counterclockwise by the pinion 45. This clock-- Wise bodily movement of the travel gears 45 will rotate the cage -36 and hence the output shaft 23* clockwise and in the same direction of rotation as the input shaft d3, see Fig. 3.

In case it is desirable to rotate the output shaft 53 at a slowe predetermined speed than that just described, it will be necessary to turnthe ring gear 28 counterclockwise and thus reduce the speed of the carrier 35 to which the output shaft 33 is secured. It may be here stated that the faster the auxiliary pinion i is rotated, the slower will be the rotation of the output shaft 33 It is possible to rotate the auxiliary pinion 48 at a speed that will reverse the direction of rotationof the output shaft 53*. t To drive the auxiliary pinion 48 at a predeter mined speed, the sprocket chain is arranged to run over any one aligned pair of sprocket wheels 58TB, 59'll or 6Ql2, depending on the speed desired. The clutch is next shifted on the input shaft 3 to bring its teeth 53 into mesh with the clutch teeth ill on the coupling id to turn the clutch El and hence all of the sprocket wheels 58, 59 and 65 thereon with the input shaft :53. It will, of course, be understood that other sprocket wheels of different diameters may be substituted for the sprocket wheels 53, 59, $8 and it, ii and F2 to obtain any desired peredetermined speed for the auxiliary pinion 38. When driving the auxiliary pinion 48 from the input shaft 43, the hy draulic motor 74 will be stoppedand the set-screw 82 loosened to permit the auxiliary shaft lfito turn freely in the hub of the sprocket wheel 15%.

To drive the output shaft it at variable speeds of infinitesimal variations, the auxiliary pinion 48 is driven independently of the engine It, as shown in Fig. 1, by the hydraulic motor '14 to turn the ring gear 28 clockwise and progressively decrease the speed of the output shaft 43 When driving the auxiliary pinion 45 from the hydraulic motor i l, the clutch 8i wilLofcourse", be in neutral position and the set-screw 6'2 tightened to secure the sprocket wheel 59 to the auxil iary shaft t9 and drive said shaft from said motor. Preferably, when driving the auxiliary pinion 48 from the hydraulic motor M, the sprocket chain 73 will be removed from the sprocket wheels over which it is arranged to run. Referring now in detail to the modification 5 shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, wherein parts that correspond to like parts in Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, are given the same reference numerals followed by a prime, with the exception of the output shaft and its coupling which are designated by at and 43 respectively. The internal mechanism of the variable speed reduction unit shown in Figs. 10, i i and 12 is identical with that in the unit heretofore described in detail.

The auxiliary shaft 39, which is reversed end for end from the showing in Fig. 1, is driven from the input shaft 43 through a mechanical variable speed transmission unit of any conventional type, indicated as an entirety by the numeral 93, with the exception of its input shaft 8'3, its output shaft 85 and the handle-equipped wheel 86 on the shaft 8? for changing the speed of said transmission unit. For the purpose of this case, it is not thought necessary to show and describe the internal mechanism of the transmission unit 83, as the same is so well understood,

The driving connections from the input shaft 43' to transmission unit 83 and from said unit to the auxiliary shaft 49 are as follows: A

sprocket chain 83 runs over a sprocket whee1 89 on the clutch 5i and an aligned sprocket wheel 90 on the input shaft 8 1 of the transmission unit 33, and a sprocket chain 9! runs over aligned sprocket wheels 92 and 93 on the output shaft 85 of said transmission unit and the auxiliary shaft 49, respectively.

It may be here stated that it is never necessary to change any of the parts inside of the variable speed reduction unit to obtain any desired speed for the output shaft.

The drawings illustrate a commercial form of the invention, but itwill be understood that the same is capable of certain modifications as to details of construction and arrangement within the scope of the invention herein described.

What I claim is:

1. In a variable speed unit, a housing having side members, at least one of which is displaceable, said side members having bosses provided with internal bearings, a ring gear having internal and external teeth in the housing and provided with side plates, at least one of which is displaceable, said side plates having hubs journaled in the internal bearings of the bosses, a carrier within the ring gear and journaled on a hub on one of said hubs and provided with a sleeve bearing journaled in the other hub, idler gears journaled in the carrier and meshing with the internal teeth of the ring gear, an input shaft W journaled in the hub opposite the sleeve bearing,

a pinion on the input shaft and meshing with the idler gears, an output shaft secured in the sleeve bearing, an auxiliary shaft journaled in the housing side members and having an auxiliary pinion meshing with the external teeth of the ring gear, and means for driving the auxiliary shaft.

2. In a variable speed unit, a motor, a housing having side members, at least one of which is displaceable, said side members having bosses provided with internal bearings, a ring gear having internal and external teeth in the housing and provided with side plates, at least one of which is displaceable, said side plates having hubs journaled in the internal bearings of the bosses, a carrier within the ring gear and journaled on a hub on one of the said hubs and provided with asleeve bearing journaled in the other hub, idler gears journaled in the carrier and meshing with the internal teeth of the ring gear, and input shaft journaled in the hub opposite the sleeve bearing, a pinion on the input shaft and meshing i with the idler gears, an output shaft secured in the sleeve bearing, an auxiliary shaft journaled in the housing side members and having an auxiliary pinion meshing with the external teeth of the ring gear, a coupling interconnecting the motor and the input shaft, a sleeve slidable on the input shaft, said coupling and sleeve having co-operating clutch members for connecting the sleeve to the input shaft for rotation therewith, and driving connections from the sleeve to the auxiliary shaft.

3. In a variable speed unit, a motor, a housing having side members, at least one of which is displaceable, said side members having bosses provided with internal bearings, a ring gear having internal and external teeth in the housing and provided with side plates, at least one of which is displaceable, said side plates having hubs journaled in the internal bearings of the bosses, a carrier within the ring gear and journaled on a hub on one of said hubs and provided with a sleeve bearing journaled in the other hub, idler gears journaled in the carrier and meshing with the internal teeth of the ring gear, an input shaft journaled in the hub opposite the sleeve bearing, a pinion on the input shaft and meshing with the idler gears, an output shaft secured in the sleeve bearing, an auxiliary shaft journaled in the housing side members and having an auxiliary pinion meshing with the external teeth of the ring gear, a coupling interconnecting the motor and the input shaft, a sleeve slidable on the input shaft, said coupling and sleeve having co-operating clutch members for connecting the sleeve to the input shaft for rotation therewith, pairs of sprocket wheels on the sleeve and the auxiliary shaft, and a sprocket chain shiftable from one pair of sprocket wheels to another, said sprocket wheels being of diameters to drive the auxiliary shaft at different predetermined speeds.

DANIEL F. PRZYBYLSKI.

REFERENCES orrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

